Kidnapped by a Warrior (12 page)

He
could barely operate the controls. His fingers shook, and his palms were damp
with sweat. No battle he’d ever fought in had rendered him this helpless or
afraid. The fear he used to feel as a youth when he was first learning to fight
and defend himself was nothing like this. This tore at his soul and made him
want to weep. He could hardly breathe. He had to reach her in time. He had to.
If they took her somewhere he’d never find her.

The
idea of not seeing her sweet face ever again or holding her in his arms forced
a frustrated cry from him. He’d kill anyone who hurt her, but he’d never get
that chance if he arrived too late and couldn’t see who had taken her. They’d
never tell him, and any attempts to find out would land him in prison or worse.

His
worst nightmare was coming true, and he was powerless to stop it. And she’d
never know he loved her. He should have told her when she was awake. He’d
inadvertently sent her to a horrible fate. And now she would go without knowing
she was the one he wanted to spend his life with, not merely for sex, but because
he loved her with his entire being.

****

Callie
cried out in pain as the two men reached under the desk and yanked her out by
one arm. “Ouch! Don’t hurt me! Let me stand up.”

“
Be quiet, girl.” The man she didn’t know slapped her
across the face, and Callie saw stars. She put a hand up to her face, blinking
through her tears. Her heart pounded, and she’d never been so afraid in her
life. “Who are you?”

They
were speaking English so they must know she was from Earth, but should she tell
them her real name?

He
slapped her again, and she cried out, trying to pull her arm from his grasp.

“
I asked you a question, and I will not ask it
again.”

“
Callie,” she whispered. “Callie O’Doyle.”

He
and Walton exchanged a startled look. They hadn’t known Jakara was hiding her.
Oh dear God. What have I just done?

“
From Earth?”

His
tone of voice was sarcastic, further confusing her. Had they already known who
she was, or had they only suspected Jakara was hiding someone? She nodded her
answer because she couldn’t seem to find her voice.

“
How long have you been here?” asked Walton, his
voice tight and
angry.

“
I’m not sure.” That wasn’t entirely a lie.

“
Who brought you here?”

She
was afraid to lie. If the other man hit her again she might pass out from the
pain, and then she’d have no control over the situation.
“Jakara.”

The
men exchanged a knowing look this time, and then the one whose name she didn’t
know wrenched her arm again. “Playtime is over, Callie O’Doyle. It’s time to
take you back where you belong.”

No!

She
tried to grab the door jamb with her free hand when he pulled her through, but
all that did was earn her a cut on her arm from the wood splinters.

The
man holding her jerked her arm once more, sending sharp pain down it. She would
have fallen if he wasn’t holding her upright. He eyed Walton. “Maybe we should
have a bit of fun before we take her over to the compound?”

Hot
bile rose up in her throat.
Oh God please
no
…

Walton
gave her a wary look. “She likely contacted him. He’s on his way back.”

“
Good point. Let’s get her out of here.”

Callie
scanned the sky as they dragged her outside, but Jakara’s craft was nowhere in
sight. She dug in her heels as they pulled her toward a large craft, but then
the man picked her up and flung her over his shoulder like she was a sack of
potatoes. Both men laughed, and Callie gave up. There was nothing she could do
now. A few more steps and they’d be inside the spaceship, and then Jakara
wouldn’t be able to find her. She had no way to tell him where she was.

She
was too numb to cry when they put her inside a cage and slammed the door shut.
She curled up against the bars and hugged her knees, watching them at the
controls. Maybe she could stall for time? “I have to use the bathroom.”

“
Go in your cage,” said the man, his voice bored and
indifferent.

“
May I please have some water?”

“
No,” said Walton. “You’ll be given food and water at
the holding cells, and a place to wash up and take care of your needs. It’s not
a long ride.” He turned and smirked. “But then, you already know that, don’t you?”

“
What?”

He
shook his head and returned to the controls while she tried to think back to
that first night. It now seemed years ago rather than mere weeks. No one else
had seen them, had they? Not that she remembered. When Jakara had sneaked her
outdoors, there had been no one around.

But
the holding cells were right here, on Voyeur Moon. Had they been seen on the
roof, looking through Jakara’s telescope? Or had they assumed Jakara had told
her about the compound? Either way, this man had betrayed
Jakara
and wouldn’t care what happened to her now.

As
the spacecraft began to ascend, Callie dug her nails into her palms so she
wouldn’t scream. She prayed that Jakara was close enough to see this, and would
know whose ship it was and where they were taking her. She willed it. She
pictured his face, and cried out his name over and over in her mind.

He
would find her. He had to. She couldn’t lose him now. Not after everything
they’d shared.

****

Jakara
stood in his front yard, holding the copy of
Brave New World
he’d found on the chair. She must have been reading
it when the drone flew overhead. She’d told him it was in the yard, which meant
she didn’t realize that what she’d seen land was the larger craft. He knew what
kind of a ship it was by the marks from the landing pads and the blast pattern,
but it was nothing more than a guess that it had taken her across the planet to
the compound.

How
was he going to get into the holding cells without being seen? It wasn’t
possible. They’d be watching for him. They’d torn his house apart before taking
her, so they either guessed by now she was an Earthling, or they’d forced her
to tell them who she was and where she was from. Every time he pictured them
hurting her or worse, his stomach contracted in hot fear.

Lesha
had come to the house with several men she said could be trusted, and they were
in the process of fixing his broken window and ruined interior doors. But he
didn’t give a shit about his meager possessions right now. He only wanted to
find Callie.

“
You have no choice,” said Lesha. Jakara startled at
the sound of her voice. He hadn’t heard her approach. “You have to contact him.
No one else will help you.” She was right. He had no one else to turn to. He
couldn’t go to Logan, and as soon as he landed near the compound he’d likely be
apprehended. If that happened, there was no chance of finding or saving Callie.

It
was time to contact Eldon once more and ask for help, but he’d never asked him
for anything this monumental. But he had no choice. He needed a
Regum
to help him save the woman he loved.

Chapter
Eleven

Jakara
took the long way around to Sera so it was less likely he’d be tracked by Logan
or anyone else watching. It took over an hour to land, and way too long to go
through the security checks before he was allowed off the landing pad. He tried
not to think about what might be happening to Callie, but it was impossible not
to.

When
they finally decided he wasn’t there to murder one of the Regum, they escorted
him under armed guard to the palace where Eldon and his family lived. Jakara
knew how they lived, and he’d been inside their homes before, but coming
face-to-face with the ridiculous display of wealth after so long made his
stomach turn. Most of the
Regum
lived as if there was
an endless supply of money and resources, and yet wouldn’t allow him and his
kind to enjoy basic comforts.

What
the hell was he doing here? Eldon would turn him away at this request. Working
behind the scenes was one thing, but would he actually help
Jakara
save an Earth woman? The fact that Eldon was his only hope had made him fearful
and paranoid, and Jakara didn’t like it.

Eldon
left him waiting in a drawing room for ten minutes. Jakara paced the entire
time, knowing that if this failed he’d have to risk it and fly to the compound.
He couldn’t leave her there. His own life wasn’t worth anything without her,
and he’d be damned if he’d simply place her in their hands without a fight.

The
door finally opened, and Eldon greeted him like he always had. As an old friend
he was happy to see.
Jakara
did his best to return
the greeting, but he was ready to jump out of his skin.

Eldon
glanced at his face, and then frowned. “What you have come to tell me is of
great importance to you.”

Jakara
took a deep breath. “I’m in love, and she’s in danger. A person I thought could
be trusted has taken her, and my Section Chief will likely throw me in prison
or kill me if I try to rescue her. I have no one else to turn to.”

Eldon
raised his brows. “You’d better start from the beginning.”

After
Jakara told him the story, Eldon nodded slowly. “This situation grows more
precarious each day. You know I share your views on this, my friend. I don’t
agree with treating the Earth women like animals or nothing more than sex
slaves. Does the girl know your views on this?”

“
Yes. That isn’t how I’ve treated Callie. Not even at
first.”

“
And does she love you, as well?”

Jakara
ran his fingers through his hair. This was taking too damn long! “I don’t know.
I know she cares for me. And right now she must be frightened beyond her
limits.”

“
I’m sure she is. I find it fascinating that you
risked so much to hide her.”

“
What I did was foolish but I cannot change that now,
and I would make the same choices again. I know that much. Please, I need your
help.”

“
You come to me for help, and yet you realize you
disobeyed a direct order in taking her for your own, and in hiding her.”

He
swallowed hard. There was nothing to say in response to that. Eldon was right.
This had been a mistake.
A mistake that had cost him valuable
time.

“
Our ancient laws, while useful at one time, have
become outdated. They are far too restrictive. If they weren’t…” Eldon smiled
and waved his hand toward Jakara. “If they were less severe, there would be no
need for uprisings and battles, would there?”

Jakara
forced a neutral expression to his face. This wasn’t the time to talk politics.
“I suppose not.”

“
The ancient laws do not take into account the true
love that can occur between a man and a woman.”

Jakara
dared to allow hope to build at those words. “Yes. That’s what I have with her.
I do not want other women. I only want her. I’m willing to have no other girl
for the rest of my life.”

Eldon
stared at him as he might examine an unusual insect on the ground.
“Fascinating.
I never thought I would see this emotion in
anyone, but especially not in you. If I help you, what will you do then? For
you know if you take her back, you cannot return to your command. You will
never fly those types of missions again. They will look for you. And if they
find you, they will kill you both.”

“
I know that.”

“
Then you and I must reach an accord, for I would
take great risk as well to help you.”

Jakara
took a deep breath, and then he bowed. “Whatever you ask of me, my old friend,
I will gladly do.” Better to lose his position and be in debt to a Regum for
the rest of his life than to hand over Callie to a fate that would likely kill
her, and destroy his very soul in the process.

****

Callie
was led to a room with stone walls and a stone floor. She was cold and
terrified. Her mouth was dry, and her entire body ached from being cramped in
the cage during the flight, even though it couldn’t have been that long. A
stern-faced woman pointed toward a toilet, and Callie used it, not caring that
the woman was three feet from her. When she finished, the woman handed her a
cake of rough soap and pointed toward a shower stall with no curtain or
covering of any kind.

She
did a cursory wash, not giving a shit what she smelled like, and then the woman
handed her a towel and a thin cotton shift to put on. She gave her sandals that
were similar to flip-flops, and then she motioned for Callie to follow her.

Callie
didn’t understand why she was unshackled until the woman opened a metal door
and ushered her through. There was no need to shackle her because there was no
place to go. The corridor was lit with bright bulbs that hurt her eyes, and it
was lined with more stone. The door at the end seemed miles away, and she
didn’t want to know what was behind it.